DC Water GM Says Ruling Could Affect Water Bills

Receive the latest local updates in your inbox

A judge's ruling requiring federal regulators to come up with tougher pollution standards for the Anacostia River has the head of the DC Water District's water utility concerned.

DC Water General Manager George Hawkins says he agrees with the goal of the ruling: a cleaner, healthier Anacostia river, but he's worried about its impact on rate-payers.

In a statement, Hawkins says DC Water is already spending a billion dollars to reduce overflow into the Anacostia after heavy rains. And with water bills expected to rise in the coming years, the new regulations could affect the utility company's customers many of whom, Hawkins says, are on low or fixed incomes.

D.C. and Environmental Protection Agency officials had argued the 2007 pollution caps were sufficient to make the river clean enough for swimming and boating. Two non-profit organizations disagreed and filed suit. On Monday, a judge sided with the non-profits and gave the EPA a year to adopt or approve new standards.